Enough is Enuf

”…A rich and engaging history of the attempts, from the 16th century to the present day, to bring written English into line with the way we speak. There’s an enjoyable wryness to the way Henry presents his linguistic idealists, headstrong in the face of public indifference or ridicule. [Henry] has a nose for the memorable detail.” – New York Times Book Review

”…[A] smart, lighthearted chronicle of the simplified spelling. It’s fitting that our guide through this history is a humorist.” – Wall Street Journal

“A witty work of linguistic history.” – Washington Post

“Amusing and enlightening…Henry’s book gave me a new perspective, cheering for the simplification crowd.” – The Guardian

“Reed it and lurn a thing or too.” – New York magazine

”…[An] amusing overview of historical attempts to bring order to the madness… It’s a delight.” – Publishers Weekly

“A well-researched and entertaining work that will likely become a new favorite among linguists.” – Kirkus Reviews

“In a tour-de-force that spans from Noah Webster to Mark Twain to Froot Loops to Twitter, Henry unpacks the mysteries of why English is such a joy to read and speak…but such a nightmare to spell. Enough is Enuf is a brilliant, thoughtful, often hilarious, and always highly entertaining masterclass on the nuances and pitfalls of our language. This book is required reading for anyone who loves–or hates–English spelling.” – Lithub

”…[A] rich and complex history. It is full of sometimes brilliant, often eccentric, yet ultimately well-intentioned people. And though few are aware of this history, it teaches some important lessons about the nature of language, the technologies we’ve created to capture it, and the passion people hold for how they chose to share their voices with others across time.” – Big Think

“Henry comically shows laugh out loud scenarios… an educational resource to see how complicated the English language is and how difficult it is to change it to make it any better. Those of us who do crossword puzzles will enjoy.” – Midwest Book Review

“Gabe Henry is a witty and wise tour guide for this exploration of orthography.” – Peter Sokolowski, Editor-at-Large for Merriam-Webster

“This buk iz jenuine fun.” – Maria Bamford, New York Times bestselling author of Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult and creator of Netflix’s Lady Dynamite.

“Is English spelling a problem? (Enthusiastic head nodding) Shud wee doo suhmthing uhbawt it? (Slowly backs away) Henry gives us a hilarious history of this oft-repeated cycle of human striving and disappointment. He reveals a surprising cast of characters ranging from the unknown to the very well known, and from sincere and thoughtful to utterly deluded.” – Arika Okrent, author of Highly Irregular and In the Land of Invented Languages

“Henry’s clever commentary transforms this story of language into pure comedic gold. Enough is Enuf is a must-read for anyone who’s ever marveled at the oddities of English. This is a word nerd’s dream come true.” – Ophira Eisenberg, host of NPR’s Ask Me Another and iHeartRadio’s Parenting is a Joke

“Gabe Henry has taken what sounds at first blush like a dry subject–English spelling–and written an incredibly fun, charming, hilarious book. And bonus: It made me feel better about getting bounced out of my school spelling bee before reaching the semi-finals. Vindication at last!” – Emily Flake, staff cartoonist for The New Yorker

“In a tour-de-force that spans from Noah Webster to Mark Twain to Froot Loops to Twitter, Henry unpacks the mysteries of why English is such a joy to read and speak…but such a nightmare to spell. Enough is Enuf is a brilliant, thoughtful, often hilarious, and always highly entertaining masterclass on the nuances and pitfalls of our language. This book is required reading for anyone who loves–or hates–English spelling.” – Jonathan Metzl, author of Dying of Whiteness and What We’ve Become

Gabe Henry is the author of Eating Salad Drunk: Haikus for the Burnout Age by Comedy Greats and the history-humor compendium What the Fact?! 365 Strange Days in History. Eating Salad Drunk was featured in The New Yorker in February 2022 (“A Smattering of Haiku for the Burnout Age”) and ranked one of Vulture’s Best Comedy Books of 2022. Henry’s work has been published in New York Magazine, The Weekly Humorist, The New Yorker, Light Poetry Magazine, and the Motion Picture Association’s magazine The Credits. In 2021 he co-created the trivia gameshow “JeoPARTY” (jeh-PAR-tee) with NPR’s Ophira Eisenberg. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.